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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · roll · spell · vault · cue · mug · stick · straw

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — letters
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cue — a signal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spell — magic
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. roll — a list
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com